The Scourge
by Awesomestprime8
Summary: A disease which goes by the name of "O" has plagued the earth and left it in ruins, leaving a group of unsuspecting high school students to have to join forces and survive against their new rising threats.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

They fell close behind now. The thought of being caught by them brought tears of fear into her eyes as her heart briskly beat. She needed to escape. Seeing she could only go forward or backwards in the dark and narrow corridor, she decided to keep pressing onward. She could hardly see what was in front of her, but the formidable reality behind fueled her to keep pressing on as she placed her hands against the cold wall beside her to feel if there was a door she could escape to. She just needed to find a way out.

Their voices echoed down the concrete walls, their footsteps growing more intense; it wouldn't be long now before they turned down the hall and spotted her. Sweat beamed down the girl's face and she had a hard time keeping her breathing at a quiet volume so they wouldn't spot her. If she didn't find a place to hide quick, she feared she'd pass out before she had the chance to meet them eye to eye. Her hands now frantically moved across the wall when she saw their flashlight beam near her location, preparing to turn its glimmer down where she was.

Suddenly, her quivering fingers ghost over a long and cool doorknob. The sudden sensation of it caused her fingers to aggressively curl across the handle and yank the door open swiftly and quietly, going into the room without giving a second thought. By the time she got the door closed, she saw the ray of light from their flashlight flash down the hallway, the door having a small rectangular window at the center. The girl pressed her back to the door, her eyes unable to focus in the room. Where ever she was was shrouded in darkness.

"She couldn't have gotten far," a brittle voice spoke, "She probably went down here."

"You don't even need to worry about where she went," the honeyed and husky voice said next, "She won't be going anywhere without knowing the layout. I just hope we find her before they do. God knows she'd be a waste if they get to her before I do; a fine good waste."

She listened, their footsteps growing more and more loud until they were right on the other side of the wall. Their ray of light began to shine through the window, but was still too dim to light up the room. On cue to her thoughts however, the light radiated into the room, now displaying what was inside, where she'd brought herself into. When her eyes took in the grotesque sights before her in the room she hid in, her hands flew up to her mouth to keep from screaming, her eyes growing to a new size and her body shaking so much she could cause an earthquake.

The light only stayed for a moment before going away almost as quickly as it came, letting bleakness take over once more. She wished she hadn't have known what was in the room now. "Do you think we should check that room?" the brittle voice asked. The one with the husky voice seemed to chuckle now, bringing the flashlight back to the window. She could see all the blood stained walls again, the least startling thing in the room. "I don't think she's dumb enough to go in there," he spoke, "I could be wrong, but I wouldn't count on it."

The light went away with its owner, the noises echoing off the walls and riveting the girl. She would be more relieved that they were gone if she was finally alone. She wasn't granted the luxury unfortunately. Her whole body sat frozen with her hands over her mouth, her legs not wanting to function. She knew she had to get out of the room and away from them but while her mind was telling her what she needed to do, her body refused to take action.

She couldn't believe what she'd seen.

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><p><strong><em>So I got blocked but reposted the story (and I know who blocked me too, fuck you by the way), so the story should be up shortly (characters I have are listed on my profile, please keep an eye out for the story and I hope you guys liked this prologue (don't forget to review either).<em>**


	2. Chapter 1

**OK, so this chapter might seem all over the place and may even be confusing, but that's because it's supposed to be. Later on in the story when things start to fall into place and the plot becomes a full go, everything should start to make more sense (if it doesn't already). Now, I've decided to take a new approach to this... well not really new. I'm starting the story off two month after the outbreak in which it'll just go off like this, but eventually it'll just have a full on flash back part explaining what happened to everyone during the outbreak and leading up to this chapter again before skipping to where ever it left off before (but that won't be for awhile).  
>This first chapter (And the next chapter) is all about character introductiondevelopment before the real plot important stuff starts.  
>Anyways! I'm fully fucking excited for you guys to read it, and I tried to make it pretty long so you guys would have more to read. Now, I didn't mention a lot of characters in this chapter because I got so many I didn't want to just pack them into one chapter (otherwise it'd be more sloppy than it already is). So new characters will gradually just come in until I've mentioned every on the list.<br>Some of you might already know this about me but I'm a review whore so please review your opinions and make the reviews as long as possible (I really want to know your guys' opinions on this). I'm also open to advice if you'd like to share it with me, and I can take criticism (unless you're being a flat out bitch), so please have fun reading this poorly written chapter.**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE ORIGINAL H.O.T.D. or THE OC'S IN THIS STORY OTHER THAN MY OWN OC (TESS), PLEASE DON'T BLOCK ME... AGAIN  
>(plus I didn't proof read my author's note so if there's a bunch of spelling errors in this then it's because it was one in the morning when I posted this and typed the author's note. I proofread the story though, so if there's any spelling errors in that, please tell me and I'll fix it).<strong>

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><p><strong>ACT I<br>Chapter 1**

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><p><strong>Two Month After The Outbreak<br>**

Pzzzzzt!

The handheld video camera seemed to make a loud zipping noise as it zoomed into the distance, a city coming up on the tiny screen that'd been pulled from the side of the device. The moonlight could only light it up so much unfortunately, silhouettes of tall buildings located in what used to be Pasadena appearing in a deep blue and starless sky. The air was warm, even at night, being one of many perks of living in Southern California. Due to the lack of electricity however, it's been rather a hassle to deal with. The only thing on Tess's mind at the moment though, was catching something on her camera worth watching later.

Tess wasn't very tall, being only around 5'5 and having a rather athletic but still small build, so when she'd found a small trench that was veiled by bushes and trees to hide in she was practically invisible. Her hair over the course of not taking care of it for two months has now gone to the tip of her shoulders, looking rather wavy and messy but still being pure jet black, looking as though the humidity had gotten to it. She'd grown such an attachment to her box bangs however that she just kept them side swept nowadays, showing her light brown skin, muddy green eyes and her oval shaped head. Curling into her black hoodie, she unconsciously bit onto her lips which were rather full. She was making sure to concentrate.

She held a mighty grip onto her camera, not wanting anything to happen to it being she spent her whole allowance on it. God forbid she dropped it, she'd never forgive herself. Once she felt that the lense had focused on the city in front of her, Tess sighed out of satisfaction, looking over at her pet German Shepherd named Cooties whom she'd brought along. He sat obediently beside her with his head on her lap, his eyes on the camera she held as though he were interested in her work as well. He was five years old now, and sense everything went to hell he hasn't been able to really go outside and take a walk anymore. Tess found it rather cruel not to bring him along.

A twig snapping behind her caused Tess to tense up a bit, her eyes darting abaft. She still kept her camera in place despite it all. When she saw that it was just her friend, she grinned, hitting herself in the head a little for getting worried for a moment. "'Bout time you made it," she snickered, her Boston accent coming out fluently, "I was beginning to think you'd chickened out."

"Sorry," a mild but still feminine voice spoke, "The guards were more testy than usual today. Might of had some trouble earlier today or somethin', I don't know. They were annoying though. You have no idea how many of 'em I had to avoid just to get here." Hopping into the trench beside Tess was her good friend Julie Admin.

Julie was short like Tess, standing at 5'4 and having slightly tanned white skin with thin, almond shaped light green eyes and blond hair containing red highlights which she'd put up into a ponytail that reached to the end of her neck. Her thin lips were curved into a smile and she seemed to be staring into Tess's camera. It didn't take long for her to bring her attention to Cooties, whom she allowed to climb onto her lap and cuddle against her. She always found Cooties adorable.

"I doubt I missed anything?" she spoke in a rather sarcastic voice. She now joined Tess in looking at the distant city.

"Oh, I guess you could say you didn't miss anything beside the sheer enjoyment of being alone outside, unmonitored by all those pervy soldiers and strict guards," commented Tess. Julie groaned at her statement, laying her back on the trench and throwing her hands up. "I know right!" she bellowed, "I feel like I can't even use my damn bathroom without someone monitoring me and making sure I'm not 'sick'. I mean I know they're just trying to keep us safe and all but I feel like a prisoner in there sometimes."

"I feel you, I feel you," Tess agreed, "But we're out here now so let's just enjoy our freedom while it last."

"Alright then," Julie said, "Anything new happen to you lately?"

"As a matter of fact, yes."

"Oh really, I'm shocked already. What happened?"

"I met someone new, a boy actually," Tess bashfully announced, not taking her eyes away from the screen on her camera. She could of sworn she'd seen something flashing in the distance of the town, but she never thought she'd be the one to say that she was used to both seeing and hearing bombs go off in her vicinity. "Oh," hummed Julie, "Well don't be shy; give me the dets."

Tess sighed a bit, placing her camera down so it could still film the city while she turned towards her now eager friend. "Well," she began, "I was out near Burbank-"

"Burbank?" Julie interrupted, "What were you doing way out there by yourself?"

"Do you want to know the story or not?"

Julie only laughed, leaning on her side and preparing herself to listen. "So I was out in Burbank just checkin' the place out and seeing how things were going there since half the place had been deserted after the evacuation. It was surprisingly empty there, but later I found out that was because some guy had startled all those infected freaks and brought their attention to him. I could tell he must'of been dead tired from how he was just shooting his gun around randomly and I knew he was gonna die if I didn't try and help him or something. So I go over to him and pull him up and the next thing I know we're running for our lives. Fortunately I knew the way to go, so it didn't take long for us to lose'em."

"You say this like it's just some casual stroll on the beach," Julie comments, resting her head on the dirt and staring at the blank sky. Tess only giggles and lays back herself, placing her hands behind her head. "So when we're finally safe, you know what this guy says to me?"

"What?"

"He says, 'Would you call me a jerk if I said you're the best-looking thing I've seen in years?' And I didn't really know what to say after that, so I just say 'Are you kidding me. Not the best line I've heard, but definitely the most sincere!' And after that we laugh for a minute before he vomits and passes out from the exhaustion. At first I thought he was infected but later found out he wasn't and just dragged him to a nearby truck until he woke up again. After that we just had some casual talk. He hot wired the truck a bit later and soon we drove some place safer."

"Somebody's a player all of a sudden," Julie nudges Tess's shoulder a bit, the two of them acting like gossiping school girls, "Did anything else happen after that?"

"Nah," Tess says, her tone sounding almost disappointed, "I wish though, he was really cute, but the dude's as old as my brother and I knew that wouldn't go down well, plus I don't think he was interested in me like that."

"You're brother's not that old though, and in this day and age it doesn't really matter any more unless he's some old geezer. Did you get his name at least?"

"I think it was Brandon," Tess answered.

"Not bad, not bad. Did you bring him to base or-"

"Oh God no! If I'd brought a stranger to base they'd have him stripped to his feet and interrogated into madness, plus he looked kinda sick due to the fact that he hadn't eaten or drank anything in days. He found a small house he boarded up for himself though and said he was going to stay there for the time being. He'll most likely try to come here eventually though, but right now we both thought it was best if he stayed away. I'm going to go see him tomorrow though if you'd like to come."

"Definitely girl," Julie flashed a condescending expression.

The lighthearted mood was quickly interrupted when Cooties started barking. The two sat up from their spots and began to look around, Tess grabbing her camera and shutting it off, wrapping the safety strap on the end of the camera around her like a necklace. "What's wrong Cooties?" Tess asked.

Lights began to beam through the cracks of the branches and her question was answered, the two girls swearing in unison and ducking deeper into the trench. By now Cooties had stopped barking and joined them, car wheels driving pass their location. "Were those soldiers?" Julie inquired. "Probably," Tess answered, "Which means it's time for us to get the hell out of here."

Once the vehicles sounded as though they were a far range away, the three of them climbed out of the trench and stayed on a messy pathway in the woods which they sprinted down until they found a barb wired fence that had an obvious hole in it. The two climbed through the small opening and held it open so the German Shepherd could find its way in as well. They were now inside the Quarantined Zone, or as everyone called it "QZ".

QZ was established a week after everything went down, but by then, most of the non infected had been evacuated and kept safe by the military. Eventually, borders were set up when things grew worse; anyone who wasn't in QZ by the time the fences were put up from the middle to the way bottoms of Southern California either had to go through a lot to be let in or were denied altogether. QZ practically became a state of its own by the time everyone was where they should be, and its name didn't take long to spread around the country who hadn't become as prepared as them, especially if they didn't have any neighboring military bases to establish this. QZ was practically heaven to people who weren't apart of it.

The buildings were intact, schooling continued and people lived their daily lives as though the pandemic never even happened, but while they lived their lives they were closely monitored. The soldiers were very strict on the rules and made sure they were enforced by force if needed. Everyone had to get a job by the age of sixteen, and every day you had to be checked and made sure you hadn't gotten infected. Schools now had classes that taught how to defend themselves against the infected, who to trust, and how to tell if someone is infected. Curfew started at 9:00 PM in which each household was checked on and counted to make sure everyone was in the house. Regular money was still used, but there was such a lack of it that everything was reduced in prices and rationed even, the system of money resembling that of the early 1900's again. There was no communication with the outside world as they couldn't communicate with any of them inside either. The only way you're allowed to legally leave is if you're a soldier or a scavenger, and you have to train to be apart of it. No one questioned these rules though, they knew it was safer to be inside the walls and restricted of some freedom than outside struggling to survive against thieves, murderers or the infected. At least in QZ they still had homes, power and protection, and every day it was slowly expanding. Pretty soon California would be regained again, and maybe things would be normal once more.

Tess and Julie part ways, cutting through the suburban neighborhoods and avoiding the patrolling vehicles that made sure no one was up to anything at night. Julie and Tess have snuck around so much though that they knew all the pathways that'd keep them unnoticed from any guards or soldiers. This is why Tess was taken aback when she saw someone in the alleyway between the two corner stores she often cut through. Whoever hid in the alley made sure to stay out of the light too, so Tess couldn't see them very well. She paused beside her dog.

"Who's there?" she asked, making sure to keep her distance.

"Out passed your curfew again," a smooth and husky voice said, "You know it's against the rules to be out this late Tessie."

Tess immediately recognized the voice and frowned, crossing her arms and stepping forward. "I thought you were a guard," she snapped at the boy, "And you're one to talk seeing as you're out here too."

The voice only cackled before stepping into the light himself, revealing a 5'9 paled skinned male in his late teens, his hair being a very short and ruffled undercut with some of it falling barely onto his forehead, the color being dark brown. His somewhat hooded gray eyes looked the girl up and down and his lanky and fit but broad shouldered appearance made him look awfully menacing in the lighting. This was Harvey Lowe, and between his chiseled features and untrustworthy smile you could tell he was up to no good.

"What would you have done if I was a guard?" he questioned, going back to her previous statement. "Nothing you need to know," Tess replied, standing her ground and making sure he didn't notice how uncomfortable she was to see him. Tess had a feeling he knew though, because it didn't take him very long to get into her personal space and keep his eyes locked on hers. "Too shy to tell me?" he said in a rather uncaring tone, "Afraid I'll tell someone? Don't worry, your secrets safe with me honey." He pretended his mouth was a zipper and used his fingers to imitate zipping his mouth closed.

"Oh really," Tess spoke in monotone, "It's really nothing you need to know. Now if you'd excuse me I'd like to get back home before they notice I'm out."

"What's with the camera?" he then asked, and before she could even get a word out he grabbed the strap from around her neck and pulled the camera off of her, lifting it over her head and smiling mockingly. "Hey!" protested Tess, "Give that back!"

"What's on here you wouldn't want me to see?" he just kept pouring questions out like a broken faucet, gasping in a fake tone, "Is Tess as naughty as they say she's been at school with all of her older brother's friends?"

"Knock it off Harvey!" she ignored his comments, being used to them and never really caring. All she wanted was her camera. When she stopped struggling to grab it, Harvey lowered it down in her face, not being surprised when she tried to grab it again. He kept it out of her reach however until she stopped trying to grab it again. "How much did this cost?" he asked in such a casual voice, as though she were just some friend he'd bumped into on the sidewalk. "I mean it wasn't that expensive, but it was still a lot of money," Tess admitted, making sure Cooties stayed back and didn't try to bite him.

"What do you need a camera for these days?" Harvey interrogated, opening up the screen and smiling arrogantly when he saw the expression on Tess's face light up with discomfort. "Are you filming the soldiers to feed that sick little taboo you have with your brother-"

"I don't have anything going on with my brother," she retorted, "Now can I have my camera back?"

Harvey laughed again, dangling the camera by the strap and watching Tess's eyes light up with fire this time. "I just love how you react to this kind of stuff," he mocked, "It's really cute I must say; you get uncomfortable so easily. But anyway, I don't like your tone sweetheart, could you ask me a little more nicely?" Harvey's smile toned down a bit when he saw her dog growling at him. He could tell that if he kept pushing her she'd probably get him to bite him or something, but it wasn't anything he hasn't felt before. In fact, he was a bit shocked when the next words that came out of her mouth were, "Can I please have my camera back?"

This time he complied, handing it back to her as she snatched the device out of his hands. "See what happens when you act like a good girl?" he continued to tease and pat her on the top of her head like a dog, "Now run along back to your room before you get in trouble. See you at school tomorrow~"

Harvey had his own reasons for being out this late anyway.

**...**

The apocalypse didn't stop students from eating lunch like normal, being everything was safe and sound like they believed it was. One thing most of the students weren't used to however were the uniforms they now had to wear. Girls wore black pleated skirts and white button downs with stockings while men wore khaki pants with white button downs as well. The uniforms were unflattering and left off no characterization for anyone attending high school whatsoever, but no one argued about it being there wasn't much money to be handed out for shopping anyway. Ramona Hernandez could personally care less about the situation altogether.

California was living up to its sunny reputation as the weather exceed to 89 degrees despite the fact that fall had already approached. Even with things like bombs, fires and other burning decays that have taken forth in the more abandon parts of California, there wasn't a cloud in the sky that could cover up the baby blue they saw. It almost felt like O Disease never even happened. But that was because they were lucky enough to not have to deal with the infected in the first place. Ramona remembered everything from the first day, suddenly being evacuated out of class during the middle of a lecture and taken onto base until more of California had been quarantined. Pretty soon once all the fear and confusion died down, every one got back to living their normal lives, with the exception of making way with a few changes. Now they were all living in harmony of the destruction, and while they had no clue of what was going on outside of QZ, about whether other states had it as good as them, all that mattered was that they were safe and alive. That's how Ramona viewed all of this.

She was lucky, she knew that. Her family was here with her when things finally settled, and now they're here with her in QZ acting as though nothing had happened. Ramona knew some students here who haven't seen their families in months, and while Ramona can be a very rude person, she knew if she were in their shoes she'd feel the same way. Incomplete and alone. But she wasn't one to dwell on the what ifs, especially in these times.

Ramona walked outside with the sun reflecting off her olive skin, her dark brown hair which was sleek and straight resting on her breast as her dark brown eyes skimmed for available tables outside the cafeteria where she could enjoy the sun. It didn't take her very long to find the group of friends she usually hung out with, all the girls who were popular but sometimes (if not always) air-headed. Ramona wasn't air-headed like them, far from it in fact, but she got along best with them, and preferred them over the rest of the scum at her school.

She went over to her friends, her tray having salad and white milk perched on top as she painted a fake smile on her face, taking a seat and saying her normal hellos to all of them. Most of the girls just wanted to talk about boys to Ramona's dismay, the topic not being one that really interested her. She liked knowing that most of these girls were actually quite sad and depressed with the way life has been though, and Ramona could tell they were putting up an act for everyone just like her, so fitting in with them was a bit comforting at the least.

Ramona watched as they all stood up, laughing and drowned in small chatter as they claimed they needed to get napkins, asking if Ramona wanted to come in which she declined, saying that she'd wait here and watch their bags for them. The girls didn't protest about it and merely walked off without even acknowledging her comment. Whatever was all Ramona could think about that as she continued to her food.

"I find it pretty pathetic you're trying to play dumb right now," a slightly high-pitched and feminine voice brought Ramona's seventeen year old eyes up to look across the aisle of outdoor lunch tables. Sitting a few tables away from her were two students, both in which she had class with and didn't enjoy being around. The school's two biggest sociopaths.

Sitting on the left side of the table was Constantine Lucapsi. She had large and slanted gray eyes concealed by thick, square framed glasses and very long, thick and curly hair that included her shower bangs, the color of it being black with electric pink high lights. Ramona wasn't too fond of the color of it, but expected as much from a girl who enjoys other people's misery like it were some sort of game. But Constantine seemed to be in some deep conversation with Harvey Lowe, yet another school freak who liked seeing others tear themselves apart. She didn't know which one of the two were worse. All the same, Ramona was bored and couldn't stop herself from eavesdropping. She loved listening to other people's drama.

"Nothing gets by my ear without me hearing about it," Ramona could hear Constantine say. She almost sounded like she was about to break out in laughter at the comment. Harvey did so for the girl, a cigarette burning between his lips as he seemed to be taking a huge inhale on the tiny lung destroyer. Harvey was probably one of the only kids in school who smoked, and was so open about it that the teachers no longer questioned him on the matter unless he tried to light one in class. "You and me both sweety," he winked at Constantine, following it by blowing smoke into her face. Constantine took the smoke like a simple breeze to her face however, staring Harvey down with the most condescending smirk imaginable, giving him a glare that could scare even the toughest of men away. Harvey remained unmoved.

Constantine eventually got bored of staring at him and walked off somewhere, leaving Harvey to his smoking as he took another inhale, closing his eyes this time. Ramona rolled her eyes at the sight. When she finished doing so, she hadn't expected him to be looking her way, clearly seeing her previous action. _Well fuck,_ she thought,_ now he's going to come here and try and talk to me, the weirdo._

Sure enough, Harvey stood up from where he sat and casually walked his way over to where Ramona sat, taking a seat right in front of her and keeping his eyes focused on hers. "The seat's taken," Ramona bluntly stated.

"That's nice," he commented, inhaling is cigarette again, "I assumed it was when I arrived, being as you like being surrounded by bimbos that make you look superior to them. It must get rather tiresome wearing that facade you call a personality around all day."

Ramona could care less about what this guy was saying, as far as she bothered to be aware of he was just another nobody her clique didn't associate with. The only thing that made him different was that he was a nobody with a rather infamous status. Ramona never let things like that intimidate her though. She looked up at him with a bored expression and watched the cigarette burn closer to his lips as he remained motionless in his seat, waiting for her to reply. She merely blinked like she'd forgotten something, and brought her eyes back to his as she said, "Oh sorry, you were boring me so much I forgot you were sitting there."

"That's really adorable, did you think of that yourself?" Harvey snapped back, his voice sounding caustic, "I've heard better comebacks before-"

"Does it look like I care?" Ramona interrupted, "You can go jerk that loneliness off some place else now before that cigarette puts you six feet under."

Harvey openly pretended to be hurt by her insult as he placed his hand on his heart and retreated a bit, scrunching his face in pain. "You're so cold Mona," he cooed, "But if I were you darling, I'd watch your back. Sure things have gone to hell now, but while that's going on outside of QZ, you're in here with everyone else, and those freaks aren't the only thing you need to worry about anymore."

"I'm sorry, I stopped listening," Ramona stated, crossing her arms and now merely waiting for him to leave. Harvey had half a mind to just stay seated and watch her get annoyed by his sheer presence, but lost interest when he saw her friends returning. Taking his cigarette from between his lips, he crushed the butt of it on the table and left it there, watching her stare at it in disgust and winking at her before walking off.

Ramona knew he was right about one thing, even though she didn't want to admit it. These days, even though the infected were around, she knew they weren't the only threat to be faced inside or outside of QZ anymore.

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><p><strong>Don't forget to review the story and tell me what you think. Yeah I know this first chapter was pretty bland, don't hit me on the head for it, it gets more interesting as it goes along.<strong>


	3. Chapter 2

**My fandom world has been crazy with watching new shows like American Horror Story, catching up on the Walking Dead, Parks and Recreations and Orange Is The New Black, and besides that I've been absorbing myself in video games like Outlast, Neverending Nightmare and Five Nights At Freddy's (plus JROTC at my school has been rather chaotic lately), so sorry this chapter took some time to post.  
>So I accidentally deleted most of my work while I was typing it, so I ended up making it shorter than it would have been. :P<br>Only two new characters are being introduced in this chapter so sorry about that, be patient with me and your characters will be in in no time.  
>I read all of your guys' reviews too, thank you all for being so kind and stuff, it really means a lot and it really motivates me to keep typing this. Plus, I've noticed that more SYOCs have been added to the H.O.T.D. section, and I'll let you guys know that I'm very competitive about keeping my story at the best in your guys' book, so once again, thank you for all of the reviews.<br>My birthday is in a few days so I'll either post the next chapter before or after that day (and I can't make any promises on when it will be posted, but it will).  
><strong>

**Don't forget to review when you've finished :D**

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><p><strong>Chapter 2:<strong>

The day had prologued for what seemed like ages, but in time school had come to an end which meant the students could go home and change into something more comfortable now. Tess was more than happy that the day was over; now she just needed to wait a few more hours before she could sneak out and introduce Julie to Brandon. Leaving wouldn't be as difficult as the wait for Tess. For days on end she's felt like she hasn't had any real objectives to do anymore since the outbreak, but now things were starting to get a bit more fun. With her backpack in hand she was one of the first to exit through the school doors and start on the sidewalk.

Most people after they were brought into QZ had to look for new homes if their houses were outside of the safe areas (unless they felt_ that_ attached to their homes), which meant that not everyone was living in a house suitable for the household. There were some families of seven in places that only housed two while a family of one was in a house for five, but it was the best they could give them during these times. Tess was grateful that her brother is in the military, so when they were brought to QZ he already had a home that could fit both her, her parents and Cooties without having any difficulties about spacing. The best part about it was that it wasn't too far from her 'new' school either.

Tess only got to take about five steps on the sidewalk before she was stopped by someone behind her. "Hey Tess!"

Turning around, Tess was now facing dark brown and wavy, shoulder length hair on fair skin. "Are you going home right now?" her voice sounded rather melodic. "Yeah," Tess responded, "I'm gonna change out of these clothes and go through my camera. I wasn't really paying attention to what I was filming last night so I'm just gonna make sure I didn't catch anything good before I delete it."

Alicia Larkin nodded as though she'd been asked a question, her hazel eyes looking behind her before returning to Tess. "So," she said in a low voice, "Julie told me you guys were going out tonight into the town to look for someone." The sudden comment caused Tess to choke on her spit a bit and come to a halt. "Julie told you that?" Tess reassured.

"Yeah, she said you were going to introduce her to one of you friends you met." Tess wasn't one to scold people but she definitely was going to say something to Julie later about telling people her plans, especially plans that involve sneaking out of QZ.

Tess saw no point in beating around the bush with Alicia though. "So, what about it?"

"I was wondering if I could come with you guys tonight?"

"Wait, why?"

"It's boring here and I haven't been able to do anything fun since this whole damn thing started. Plus I'd love to meet someone new, especially if it's a boy; the men here are getting awfully stale." Her last comment made Tess tense up a bit; she'd prefer to say dibs but kept the comment to herself. This kind of behavior from Alicia didn't shock her though. Alicia was very well known around QZ despite her age; but her famous reputation was well expected from being a child actor in a lot of A list movies with well known actors and actresses. She was the most famous thing walking around QZ right now, but she knew better than to let the title get to her head, especially since it didn't really benefit her much anymore. But since the big quarantine, she's been rather impatient in waiting for something exciting to happen.

"You can come," Tess says in a low tone, "But don't tell anyone else about it, the last thing we need is a big crowd of people trying to sneak out. You know our route right?"

"From what I remember, yes."

"Alright, meet us there as soon as you can after the house check," Tess instructs, Alicia merely nods, strutting off into a different direction.

The walk to Tess's home wasn't a long one as it was just swelled with people trying to get to where they needed to be. Whenever civilian cars weren't driving down the roads, trucks and convoys full of rations usually occupied the streets, being the reason for everyone maintaining normal lives. Soldiers usually didn't walk down the sidewalks unless something was happening, but even then, their sightings have become that of a daily routine. It made Tess feel safe on her trek home at least.

Walking through an upbeat and suburban neighborhood she eventually approached one of the houses that looked like an everyday, traditional suburban house completed with dark, faded blue walls and white window paneling, the grass appearing slightly burnt in the sun but mowed down so it didn't look completely untaken care of. A lot of the houses looked like this one, not counting the coloring, making the neighborhood seem like rows of the same thing.

Tess made her way down the cemented pathway leading to the front door, pulling a key out of her pocket and unlocking the door. An empty house greeted her. The atmosphere of it was dull with the place being filled with your everyday furniture, the air smelling like a scent Tess was still trying to familiarize herself with. The lighting was dim, her surroundings quiet. It was unsettling to the eighteen year old and all too soon for her to be comfortable with, bringing some bad memories to her head.

Upon entering, the girl turned to lock the door behind her. She learned the hard way of what happens these days when you leave a door unlocked after entering an empty building alone. Once she felt somewhat secure, she turned back to the beige, carpeted stairs that lie only a few feet from the door. It lead to a dark upstairs. Tess's first instinct is to turn a light on which she soon does, the house now appearing less leery. "Hello?" she called, hoping to hear one of her parents, her brother or even Cooties. No sound answered her call.

Tess shook the thought of something being wrong out of her head before proceeding upstairs into the room she shared with her brother. Both of them were neat, so their beds were made, her covers being red and his being blue while they were on either side of the room across from each other, the floor vacuumed and cleared of any real mess. Across from the door was a small desk that a gray Dell laptop rested atop, her camera leaning beside it closer to her bed. The clear white curtains in the square window didn't do aid in blocking the sunlight, but always looked nice whenever she entered the room.

Once the door closed behind her, Tess threw her backpack onto her bed and let out a loud sigh, falling back onto her bed and transferring her gaze up to the white ceiling. Her mind worked mechanically as it unbuttoned the shirt of her uniform, practically removing itself at the time she stood and changed into a simple black, spaghetti string tank top and gray sweat pants. She really felt at home now.

In times gone by, Tess establishes emptying out her school bag, placing all the text books and binders onto her bed and filling the newly emptied backpack with emergency equipment she may need while out tonight in town. It was the usual stuff: Two bottles of water, a random hoodie, some granola bars, a change of socks, some basic medical equipment, scissors and a small boot gun she'd found one day while she was out (her parents and older brother being unaware that she had it). Once that was packed in safely she'd usually put her camera equipment inside a different compartment, being that if she was going anywhere outside of QZ she might as well capture the moment and make it memorable. For now though, she needed to look through her recent footage.

Tess placed her backpack to the side and grabbed her camera, the pad of her thumb pressing the "On" button before she flipped the screen out and began browsing through her files. Quickly finding it, the small film she'd put together for herself began to play.

She was proud of herself for keeping a steady hand while filming, but most of the video only contained her and Julie's conversation about Tess's previous transactions. It seemed to drag on for what felt like years; Tess became more and more tempted to press the delete button seeing as she hadn't caught anything worth keeping.

Right when her finger was about to glide over the "Delete" button, a flashing light on the camera caught her attention. Tess rewinded the video to make sure she wasn't merely imagining something, but sure enough when the clip replayed Tess could see something flashing in the distant town of Pasadena. Normally she would just assume it was a flash of light coming from an explosive or a fire, but something about this particular light seemed different. After re-watching the clip for the fourth time, Tess could pick up that this light wasn't caused by some sort of bomb. In fact it looked like someone in the distance might of been flashing something. Was it towards her maybe?

"Teresa?" Emile's voice from downstairs caused Tess to nearly jump out of her skin. Following the noise was the sound of the front door shutting and Cooties barking. Emile must of taken him on a walk. Tess tossed her camera to the side and opened her bedroom door as she saw Emile starting up the stairs.

Emile was tall, standing at about 6'2 with blond cropped hair, tanned fair skin and light blue eyes. Most people who didn't know the two siblings would never think they were related, and usually didn't believe them at first when they'd tell them so. Despite Emile being Tess' step brother, he might as well be her real brother from how close they are.

Tess pouted and crossed her arms, blocking the doorway so he couldn't come in. "Jesus, Miles you nearly gave me a freaking heart attack."

"Sorry, I didn't know if you were here," he chuckled, his voice sounding notably deep. He wasn't dressed in his Navy ACUs but rather a black t-shirt and blue jeans which meant he was off right now, a comforting fact to Tess. "I figured I'd give Cooties a walk around the neighborhood; I hate seeing him all chained up here by himself while we're gone. What were you just doing-"

"Nothing," Tess interrupts, "I got here just an hour ago and thought I'd get some studying done."

Emile gives Tess a look that appears as though he can sense the BS in her lines, probably because she said she was studying. They both knew that was a lie. Tess was mentally smacking herself now for making that her first alibi, knowing full well that that was not only going to not work on Emile, but peak his curiosity. He had a knack for telling when someone was lying to him.

"Studying?" he chuckles in disbelief, "Now I know that's a lie."

Tess puts on a proud expression, feeling a need to protest."Hey, in these times it's only right to get caught up on that book work now, I might not get another chance later." Emile's eyes dart from hers to her bed as he sees her books piled on her pillow besides her camera, her backpack appearing to be filled with something else. "Can I come in?" he asks, though he doesn't really need to ask at all because it's his room too. In fact this is his house, he could make any rules he wanted at this point. So Tess steps aside, retreating to her bed and allowing her brother entry.

He skims his younger sister's bed, specifically her backpack which he knows is full of something that isn't school work, acting more like a wary cop than a brother who just got home. While he typically enjoys the fact of playing dumb with someone when he knows the truth, he'd rather get to the point of things due to not being in the mood. He smiles candidly. "Can I look in your backpack real quick?" Tess's face remains blank as she's trying to remain out of suspicion. It wasn't working as well as she'd hope unfortunately.

She feels she might as well answer with a question back, make this play out as long as she can. "Why?"

"Well I'm just curious as to what's in it as all. I mean it's full despite all your books being out on your bed. So I just wanted to know."

Tess doesn't reply, simply letting an awkward silence fill the air as Emile remains motionless in front of her, his arms crossed like a disappointed parent catching their child stealing from the cookie jar. Tess can't see a point in lying anymore because she knew he was aware of what she was trying to hide. And she was right. Emile doesn't even bother looking through her backpack because he already has a clear idea of what's in it, taking a seat on his bed to face his younger sister whom he's come to know as though they shared a brain. He was ready to cut to the chase. "How long have you been doing this?"

Tess still can't help but try and find some way to sneak out of this hole she'd just dug herself into. "Doing what?"

"Sneaking out of QZ Teresa, I know that's what you're doing."

"What makes you think that-"

"I'm not dumb Tess. I don't sleep completely through the nights every day, I wake up every now and then and see you not in your bed, and sometimes I notice around the night that Cooties isn't barking or roaming around the backyard either."

"I'm sorry."

"Do you know how dangerous it is out there? Every time my team and I take one step out of QZ we're risking our lives without a promise that we'll make it back safe by the end of the night, and here you are taking the luxury of being safe for granted. And for what?"

"If I told you my reasons you'd think they're stupid." Tess keeps her eyes wired to her feet, not wanting to meet eyes with her him. "Then maybe they _are_ stupid reasons if you have to rationalize it like that. Sure you think sneaking out is easy and that nothing will happen to you while you're out there, but the world has changed and if you let your guard down then it's going to get you killed-"

Emile cuts himself off as he finds himself at a loss for words. His sister seems to get the point, in his eyes at least. He sighs, trying to keep things from growing too tense. "I don't mean to yell at you about this stuff, I just want to make sure you're safe is all. The last thing I want to hear is that you've gone missing out there, or worse. I don't think I'd ever be able to forgive myself if anything like that ever happened to you."

"Please don't tell Mom or Dad." Tess's plea is softly spoken, almost at a mumble. Emile almost didn't catch what she said. When his mind processes her word though, he just lets out a deep breath again and stands, heading towards the door. "Promise me you won't go out there," he said, though it sounds more like a question. Tess ponders, knowing it'd be simple to just say that she promises but knowing that she'd never be able to keep herself pent up in QZ like a bird with clipped wings. But her relationship with her brother made her not want to just bluntly lie to him. She feels that Emile takes point of her silence though as he walks out of the room, leaving her to her thoughts.

**...**

The Household Inspections for the Curfew had been done maybe an hour or two ago. Everyone had to be home so they could hear the aggressive pound of a soldier's fist against their front door demanding an entrance. Once allowed in, with their clipboard in hand, a single soldier would count off who's home, making sure to keep a track on who's gone missing. After that, each person was checked if they had a high fever, a symptom of infection. It was a daily required task, so once everything was checked off as clear, the soldier would leave and continue on to the next house. It was like being in prison.

It was around eleven at night now, everyone was heading off to bed so they could start the new day with enough energy to have the common sense not to complain about their task. Tess waited for everyone to go to sleep before deciding to get ready to sneak out and meet up with Julie and Alicia near their secret passage. Their own little Narnia and Bridge to Terabithia.

The moment her brother's breathing calmed on the bed across from her and his head turned towards the wall, Tess shot out of her bed and changed into a black zip up hoodie and matching black leggings with some gray combat boots. Fixing her shoulder length hair so it'd be as wavy as it was yesterday, it didn't take the teenager long to get ready to head out as she grabbed her backpack and cellphone, going straight out through the front door and down the sidewalk.

This time of day was calming. There were no cars on the roads or people crowding the sidewalks, only Tess and her thoughts. The only thing she had to worry about was the patrolling vehicles that made their rounds across the neighborhood until around six in the morning, making sure to keep people from breaking in or causing problems. Tess has never been caught by them before, and hears stories of things that happened to people who are caught, fueling her ambition to lurk in the shadows so she won't have a fate similar to them. Maneuvering through alleyways and back streets, Tess neared the small hole in the fence that led to the outside world. A place they used to call home.

There wasn't a lot of greenery to begin with in California other than this small patch here. It was a good thing it was here too, it made sneaking out a lot easier than it would if it be out in the open. Tess begins to slowly jog down the dirt trail as the branches blocked out any light, her surroundings coated in a bleak darkness. Silence engulfed anything in its path here, especially at night. Walking down this thin pathway through the small amount of woods here could really make someone feel alone in the world. It was both a comforting and chilling fact.

Tess was a bit surprised to see that she was the late one for this event, going up to her normal spot in the trench to see Julie and Alicia sitting there laughing about something. The noise Tess made as she stepped on a dried up leaf caused the two to snap to her direction, relief washing the fear away almost immediately. Julie stood up, wearing a green t-shirt with the words "California" in yellow on the front, blue skinny jeans and blue Nike tennis shoes with her black Ray band sunglasses pushed up from her eyes.

"What took you so long?" Julie asked, Alicia standing up to join. She was only wearing a pair of jeans, black combat boots, a white button up shirt, and a black leather jacket. Tess groaned, cocking her head back and closing her eyes. "My brother knows about me coming out here and I had to sneak out all sneaky like so he wouldn't know. I'm just glad he didn't tell my parents, but now I'm paranoid that he knows I'm out here right now."

"Well we could head back," Alicia states. Tess shakes her head, her hands lapsing over the straps of her backpack. "No, no we're already out here, and I really want you guys to meet him. We just won't linger like we normally do." The two girls nodded, climbing out of the trench and starting down the dirt pathway once more.

The pathway slowly began proceeding down a hill before disappearing onto a sidewalk, convenient stores and other abandoned local businesses occupying this small ghost town. It was one of the very first locations to be evacuated, and raiders know to stay away from it due to it being hazardously close to QZ, a place that didn't take kind to anyone who's remotely considered a threat within the vicinity.

Scattered and arranged across the streets were abandoned vehicles, most still intact with gas inside. Where they were heading they wouldn't need a car though. Alicia's eyes marveled the sights around her as her mouth sat open for a moment. "I haven't been out here in like forever. It all looks so different now."

"Yeah," Julie states, "It looks pretty filthy now."

Tess lets the two of them talk as she leads the way on the sidewalk, her two friends following close behind. Some of the stores had shattered windows from when everyone began looting the building for supplies and food. Most of it was taken when QZ made their way through though, so most raiders struck out whenever they had to resort to this place for food. Minutes passed before they reached an abandoned suburban neighborhood. If QZ were to take this part of town back, a lot of the houses could look like the ones they were staying in now, but they've been left in dormant for awhile; there's no telling what was inside of all them now. "We're almost there," Tess states.

Stopping, they turn to look over at a one story house with boarded up windows and dark gray paneling, a red pick up truck parked on the lawn. Through the creases of the wood they could see what looked like a candle light illuminating the inside. Tess brings her two friends up to the doorstep, immediately knocking on he door. Her demeanor was that of a friendly neighbor asking for a cup of sugar now. Thumps were heard from the other side, followed by a deep and gravelly voice groaning. While Tess knew that it was Brandon, the others kept their distance from the door in case it wasn't. You can never be too careful.

The thumping stopped right on the alternative side of the door. "This house is occupied and I'm armed, so I suggest you walk away now if you planned on robbing me."

While Julie and Alicia shrink a bit, Tess merely puts a coy smile on her face. "Who's out there?" the voice questions, sounding even in tone but strong and firm at the same time.

Tess lowers her voice in hopes of imitating a man. "This is the police, open up!"

Without a sound, they continue to stand there and listen to the sound of locks unlatching, the door flinging open. Standing at 5'10 in the doorway was Brandon, his light brown hair buzzed short and his fair skin shining in the moonlight as his narrow and almond shaped, green eyes looks down at Tess with a playful smile. "What seems to be the problem officer?" he plays along with her joke.

Tess places her hands on her hips and sways them a bit. "I'm here on behalf of a report. They say a homeless guy of unattractive looks has moved into a neighboring home without permission and you seem to fit the description." Brandon chuckles, his eyes moving down the street. It doesn't take long for his smile to completely vanish and his eyes to replace into a more serious mood. Tess notices his expression, looking over to where his gaze stopped. Car headlights in the distance. From the looks of it the lights were moving at a fast rate towards their destination.

Before either of the girls realized, they were being shoved into the house, the door slamming and locking behind them as Brandon firmly told them to, "Get down." Doing so without a question, the girls crouch down low, Brandon peaking through the open cracks of the boarded up windows. "You guys weren't followed were you?"

"I don't think we were," Tess admits, seeing the headlights go by the window and pass the house. Once out of sight, Brandon lets out a sigh and turns to his visitors, wearing nothing but a black wife beater and dark blue jeans. "You guys should know it's not safe out here, especially now."

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry this chapter was kind of short and lacking in new characters, I'm really trying to keep the story at more a cinematic view that gradually brings characters in (trust me, I won't spoil who's a main character and who isn't, but these guys aren't the only ones). The next chapter should start off with some new people (unless I change my mind), I'm just trying to take a different approach to this is all. Other than that, I'm sorry again that I'm struggling with word choices, it's super hard trying to find other words to describe things. But anyway, please review your guys opinions and I'm more than open for suggestions. Thank you for your previous reviews as well.<strong>


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